{"id":442598,"date":"2026-02-24T07:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T07:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/442598\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T07:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T07:42:10","slug":"eastenders-lines-up-heartbreaking-clare-and-nigel-reunion-scenes-in-return-plot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/442598\/","title":{"rendered":"EastEnders lines up heartbreaking Clare and Nigel reunion scenes in return plot"},"content":{"rendered":"

EastEnders<\/a> spoilers follow.<\/p>\n

EastEnders\u2019 Nigel Bates prepares to move into a care home next week, but there\u2019s an unexpected guest to see him off \u2013 his estranged stepdaughter, Clare! She may arrive all-guns-blazing, angry that she\u2019s only just heard of Nigel\u2019s plight, but Clare\u2019s in for a shock when faced with the full reality of her stepdad\u2019s situation\u2026<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s really heartbreaking for her,” reveals actress Gemma Bissix, who reprises the role of Clare after 17 years away<\/a> from Walford.<\/p>\n

“Clare feels like Julie only called her at this late stage as a punishment to get back at her. In Clare\u2019s mind, it feels quite cruel because I think Clare really wanted the chance to apologise to her dad.”<\/p>\n

Clare has been absent from Nigel and Julie\u2019s life for several years, having lost touch with her stepdad. However, when Nigel begins asking to see her, Julie and Phil are worried over what to do for the best<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"nigel<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

\"phil<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Related: Best streaming services<\/a><\/p>\n

With Nigel\u2019s care home place available once he leaves hospital<\/a>, Julie is worried that a visit from volatile Clare will only unsettle him further in this time of change. The woman in question, meanwhile, is unaware of just how ill Nigel is.<\/p>\n

Phil tries to convince Julie to call Clare, but it\u2019s Lexi who gives her a new perspective on the situation and prompts her to make the call. Julie\u2019s fears are quickly realised, however, as no sooner has Clare arrived than the pair start sniping at each other. <\/p>\n

Phil soon reminds them that their priority is Nigel, and they agree to keep the peace as they arrive at the hospital. But the wind is quickly taken out of Clare\u2019s sails when she sees Nigel only for him to not recognise the girl he brought up.<\/p>\n

\"nigel<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

\"lexi<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Related: EastEnders hints at Penny and Vinny’s romantic future amid baby news<\/a><\/p>\n

“Clare didn\u2019t realise how advanced the dementia is,” admits Gemma. “It\u2019s a complete rejection for her in every sense of the word \u2013 it\u2019s like losing her mum all over again. All Clare wants is the love of her dad, and she can see that she might not have that again, and she\u2019s missed her opportunity.”<\/p>\n

With things still tense between her and Julie, Clare turns to Lexi for support, and the youngster persuades Clare to make things up with Nigel while there\u2019s still time. Together, they organise a party at The Vic to honour Nigel before his care home move \u2013 and even break him out of hospital!<\/p>\n

\"clare<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

\"clare<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Related: EastEnders explains latest Ben Mitchell criminal twist<\/a>
<\/p>\n

Julie and Phil are furious to discover what Clare and Lexi have done. However, the party is a success and the community rallies around Nigel as he enjoys his final drink in the pub.<\/p>\n

The trio can only delay the inevitable for so long, however. Can Julie, Phil and Clare resolve their differences as Nigel begins his final chapter?<\/p>\n

EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.<\/p>\n

Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage<\/a><\/p>\n

For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast<\/a> from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode<\/a> delves into next week\u2019s soap spoilers for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale – featuring an unexpected pregnancy, dark new alliances, and secretive newcomers causing chaos on the cobbles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EastEnders spoilers follow. EastEnders\u2019 Nigel Bates prepares to move into a care home next week, but there\u2019s an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442599,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[147951,147950,379,160962,381,96,1156,160961,148025,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-442598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-collection-inside-soap","tag-collection-latest-news","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-fd5da2a3-834c-4a96-ac8d-5a99c21ad0db","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-eastenders-reveals-heartbreaking-clare-and-nigel-reunion","tag-subsection-eastenders","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442598\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}